Today, roughly two-thirds of households include some kind of pet. This habit is no modern affectation, since our hunter-gatherer ancestors seem to have routinely adopted young animals from the wild and raised them alongside their own children.

Thus pet-keeping seems to be a part of human nature, but it’s less clear why we did it then, and continue to enjoy doing so today.

Is pet-keeping just a mistake, the relatively harmless misdirection of care that should by rights be reserved for our own offspring, or is it an evolved trait that gave our ancestors a crucial advantage at the dawn of agriculture?

Join John Bradshaw, University of Bristol, and author of the Sunday Times best-sellers In Defence of Dogs and Cat Sense, as he discusses the evolution of pet-keeping.

The lecture (6pm-7pm) will be followed by a reception and book signing (7pm-7.30pm).

This is a free event. All are welcome however advance booking is required.

Find out more and book your place via EventBrite.